Men’s basketball rolls past Colonials to NCAA sweet 16

Playing in front of a sold out crowd in Pepin Gymnasium, the Middlebury men’s basketball team continued adding to their season of firsts. After a dominant 79-53 victory over the 23rd ranked Western Connecticut Colonials (22-6) in which the team’s defensive tenacity shined, the Panthers advanced to the sweet 16 of the NCAA Division Three Tournament for the first time in school history.
“Advancing to the sweet 16 was a huge step for us. The past two years we felt our season ended prematurely and this year we were committed to playing deep into March” said senior center Andrew Locke ’11, playing his final game in Pepin.
“Obviously  it’s tough playing my last game in Pepin, but it was a great one to end on.”
Jumping out to a 15-6 lead just five minutes into the contest, thanks in large part to scoring leader Ryan Sharry’s ‘12 seven points, the Panthers set the precedent for the game early on. However, after a 7-0 Colonial run capped off on a three point play by John Phillips minutes later, the lead was slashed to 17-15.
“The teams we see in the NCAA tournament often have a different style of play than our NESCAC opponents” said Locke, as Western Connecticut’s speed became a factor early on.
Yet, with the rowdy fans rallying behind them, Middlebury locked down its top-ranked defense and found ways to get to the basket, going on a 10-0 run of their own that Western Connecticut would never recover from.
With their lead hovering just under double digits for most of the half, the Panthers finally took a 10 point advantage after a monster alley oop dunk from Locke that sent the already ecstatic crowd into a frenzy of cheers, one enthusiastic fan shouting, “Game over!”.
Catching the assist from guard Joey Kizel ’14 on the baseline, Locke slammed it down so hard fans feared the rim was going to break off. Middlebury would end the half up 40-28.
Picking up right where they left off, Middlebury dominated the second half from start to finish. Opening with a 5-0 run that began on sophomore Jake Wolfin’s ’13 three point shot, the Panthers pushed their lead to 18 with just nine minutes remaining in the game.
With a 10-2 run over the next five minutes that pushed their lead to 25, Middlebury put the game out of reach ending with a 79-53 victory that leaves the Panthers among the final 16 teams left in contention for the NCAA Division Three Championship.
A testament to their excellent defensive effort, Middlebury held Western Connecticut to 33 points below their regular season average on 35 percent shooting from the floor. Western Connecticut’s start guard, Daquan Brooks, was held to just 11 of his regular 22 points a game.
For the Panthers, Sharry lead the team with 16 points and 13 rebounds while guard Nolan Thompson ’13 added a dozen. Jamal Davis ’11, also playing his last game at Pepin, added 11 points and six rebounds while Locke added six rebounds and four blocks. Middlebury now travels to Rochester to play the team on their home court in hopes of getting one step closer to their first Division III title.